Friday, November 9, 2012

There are many reasons I love the month of November. One being that my children only have one full of week of school the entire month, and that is the last week of the month. I love having the extra time with them.

Another reason is it is the unofficial start to the holiday season. I think the official start is Thanksgiving. It's kind of like how Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, even though Summer doesn't really start until the end of June. lol The holiday season is my most favorite time of year. So any start to it, is usually a good one in my book.

It's also the month I first became a mommy. My eldest will be 11 this month. This fact alone makes it one of my most favorite months of the year.

And then there is Thanksgiving. The holiday in which we Americans gather together with family and loved ones to give thanks for all that we have, and have endured. It's a time of reflection. And as the name of the holiday itself states, a time of thanksgiving.

A trend I have taken part in the past few years is called "30 Days of Thanks". It's an online trend, mostly on Facebook and Twitter, where you post something you are thankful for each day in November. And you aren't allowed to post the same thankfulness twice. Each day must be something new. And I have to tell you, I love this idea. I love participating in it!

At the end of each day, I sit and reflect. I find just one thing to be thankful for, and post it. Viola! Done, right? Well, kinda.....

Sitting at the end of each day and reflecting on it, finding things to be thankful for, is a wonderful way to end your day. Even on the most trying days. It gets your heart and mind in a good place. It's kind of cleansing. It also helps put you in the right mood/frame of mind/spirit for the up coming holiday season.

Some days you are easier than others. Some days something so wonderful has taken place, you can't wait to jump on in the middle of the day and post what it is you are thankful for (example: I am so thankful my spouse got a promotion!). Other days aren't so easy. Some days you are thankful for things like your home or health or family. Other days you may really have to search to find something. But it's there. It's always there, no matter how little or basic you think it may be. But when you find it, that thing you truly are thankful for, it warms your heart.

I love reading other people's thankful posts as well. Some are down right funny! For example, on one particularly trying day, a friend of mine was thankful for a cold beer at the end of that day. lol Others are heartbreaking. Like a post about being thankful for the short time they were allowed with their child before the child passed away. Some are very simple posts. Like being thankful for hugs, or children's laughter, or even for the sun shining outside.

Each and every posts I see helps my heart in some way. Each and every post I write helps me get to a better place mentally and emotionally. I find that reading these posts, and posting myself, helps get the focus off of my selfish nature. It helps to humble us in some ways. It helps take one from selfish to grateful. And when you start living your life with a grateful attitude instead of a selfish one, you see it begin to change and brighten. You start to feel lighter.

"30 Days of Thankfulness" is a challenge I enjoy being a part of. It is a challenge I am going to start giving my kids (they don't have online accounts, but we can sit and talk every night before bed). It's a challenge and cause that can be uplifting, and some ways, life changing. It's a challenge I think everyone should try and be a part of.

Can you imagine what would happen to the heart of a nation, if every person in it took time at the end of the day to find something to be thankful for? What would happen at the end of those 30 days, when selfish attitudes gave way to attitudes of gratefulness? One can only imagine!!!